After a postponement in early January 2025, the appeal trial of members of the far-right group ‘Les Barjols’ opened on January 13.
Its members were tried for preparing violent attacks, including plans targeting mosques, Muslim worshippers, and migrants.
Senior officials from the National Rally (RN, French far-right party), including elected representatives and parliamentary assistants, are implicated in this group, illustrating the troubling links between violent far-right groups and RN leadership.
This trial highlights the normalization of racist discourse within political parties, and the worrying proximity between violent far-right groups and their institutional representations.